Hammer mill control



H. D. SCHUTTE July 5, 1966 A TTOPNEYS' July 5, 1966 H. D. SCHUTTE HAMMER MILL CONTROL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 5, 1964 y 1966 H. D. SCHUTTE 3,259,327

HAMMER MILL CONTROL Filed Feb. 5, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 HERMAN D. SCHUTTE BY A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,259,327 HAMMER MILL CONTROL Herman D. Schutte, Snyder, N.Y., assignor to Schutte Pulverizer Company, Buffalo, N.Y. Filed Feb. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 342,204 7 Claims. (Cl. 241-486) This invention relates to hammer or screen mills for grinding or pulverizing purposes, as in the case of earlier U.S. Patents Nos. 2,328,170 and 2,532,262; and more particularly to improved means for regulating the rate of flow of feed material to the mill, from a gravity chute or the like.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved mill as aforesaid, whereby the means for adjusting the feed flow rate is of improved form, and whereby the procedure for altering the rate of feed flow may be performed -With improved safety and facility, either while the mill is idle or running.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter, and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a mill embodying the feed control mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the mill of FIG. 1, showing interior details thereof;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational and sectional vie-w thereof, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on enlarged scale, of a detail of the mechanism as indicated at 5- 5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on enlarged scale, of a detail of the mechanism as indicated at 6-6 of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 7, 8, are fragmentary top plan views corresponding to a portion of FIG. 4, showing mechanisms alternative to the form of feed control mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 1--6.

The drawings illustrate the invention in connection with a hammer mill of the type that is adapted for example to the grinding or pulverizing of grain or other commodities; and the mill as shown comprises essentially a box-like base or frame 10 carrying bearing blocks 12 at opposite sides thereof for rotatably supporting the rotor shaft 14. The mill rotor 16 is carried by the shaft 14 and in turn mounts a series of arms 18 which are pivotally connected to the rotor so as to extend radially therefrom.

Hammer heads such as shown at 20 may be carried by the arms 18 to receive the majority of the wear in connection with processing operation, or any other preferred arrangement may be employed, if preferred. An upper casing or cover portion 22 is mounted upon the base 10 so as to complete the mill enclosure, and a mill feed inlet chute 24 is arranged to lead the mill feed through an inlet port 26 of the mill cover so as to deliver the mill feed in the form of a continuous stream into the mill casing and upon the rapidly rotating rotor and hammer unit while traveling in substantially the same direction of movement.

The product screening elements of the mill comprise a set of arcuately shaped screen members of any preferred number, such as for example perforated sheet metal plates as indicated at 30 (FIG. 2). Or the screen means may comprise woven wire fabrications if preferred; and when mounted in operative position the screen members extend transversely of the mill frame structure 10 between opposite side wall portions thereof so as to complement and parallel the lower are of the mill hammer orbit.

To regulate the rate of feed to the mill, a baffle plate 34 3,259,327 Patented July 5, 1966 ice is disposed interiorly of the feed hopper in opposition to the sloping back plate 24 thereof. At its upper end the baflle plate 34 is carried by means of a crossbar 36 which extends at its opposite ends into obliquely slotted portions 38-48 of the hopper side walls; thus providing inclined traclsways guiding the extending end portions of the bar 36. Cover plates as indicated at 39' (FIG. 1) are provided to outwardly seal the slotted portions of the hopper side walls. At its lower end the bafile plate 34 is Welded or otherwise attached to a cross tube 40 into the opposite ends of which are fitted bent end portions 42- 42, of a pair of push-pull rods 44. At their other ends the pushpull rods are fixed as indicated at 45 to a yoke bar 46 which carries a nut 48 through which is threaded a control screw 49. A control handle as indicated at 50 is attached to one end of the screw 49 and at its other end it is rotatably anchored in a universal socket 52 carried by a bracket 54 which pivotally attaches as indicated at 56 to a stationary structure such as the back plate 24 of the feed hopper.

The turned end portions 42 of the push-pull rods 44 extend through and slidably ride in arcuately shaped slots 60 formed in the opposite side walls of the mill casing, whereby Whenever the control handle 50 is rotated the screw 49 operates to push or pull upon the rods 44 so as to shift the .bottom end of the baffle plate 34, such as between the solid line and broken line positions thereof as shown in FIG. 2. For example, as shown by broken lines in FIG. 2, the feed opening is completely closed, and it will be appreciated that suitable adjustment of the screw 49 will shift the bafile plate so as to provide any desired degree of opening of the feed chute. Incidental to such motion of the 'bafile plate the upper end of the baffle plate 34 rides up and down, by virtue of the fact that the ends of the rod 36 are free to ride in the slots 3-8.

To seal the slotted openings 60-60 through the opposite side walls of the mill casing in which the rod ends 42-42 ride, a box-like housing 64 is provided to cover each of the slots while providing freedom of movement of the push-pull rods 44-44 therewithin. At their rear ends, the housings 6464 are generally open to accommodate extension of the push-pull rods therethrough, but are provided with vertically slidable shutters 66 (FIGS. 1, 5) which are free to ride up and down as may be required by displacements of the rods 44-44 as they slide back and forth through the shutters. For this purpose the shutters slide vertically between fixed baffles 68--6-8 at the upper and lower portions of the housing opening. Thus, it will be understood that the mill case remains dust-sealed.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 6, support stirrups 70-70 are provided at opposite sides of the mill casing for slidably supporting the push-pull rods 44. Hence the rods 4444 are supported at their front ends by means of their attachments to the bottom end of the baflle plate, and intermediately of their lengths by means of stirrups 70-70, whereby the push-pull rods act as stiff-arms and their outer ends provide vertical support for the yoke bar 46 and the adjustment screw mechanism.

FIG. 7 illustrates the application of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder as indicated at to the job of adjusting the push-pull rods 44-44 by means of a remote control device. The piston rod 76 is connected to the yoke bar 46, and thus it will be understood that from any desired remote position the flow of pressured fluid to the cylinder may 'be controlled, as distinguished from a manual screw attachment system illustrated in FIGS. 1- 4. FIG. 8 illustrates still another form of adjustment control arrangement wherein the adjustment screw 49 carries a sprocket 78 around which trains a chain 79 arranged to be operated by a cross shaft and sprocket arrangement as indicated at 80. Thus, an endless chain as indicated at 82 training around sprocket 84 may be employed to actuate the shaft 80', the chain 79, and hence the feed control screw 49; it being understood that the chain 82 Will be driven by an actuating sprocket (not shown) located at some preferred position entirely remote from the mill.

Thus, it will be appreciated that in the case of the present invention a positional adjustment device for the mill feed control bafile member is provided, such as to avoid the location of any relatively moving machine parts inside the mill casing. All of the screw and moving bearing parts are located outside the casing and are therefore clear of the heavy dust condition such as exists inside the casing. This greatly facilitates the operation of the control mechanism and minimizes the maintenance thereof. It is to be understood that although only a few forms of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a pulverizing mill including a casing enclosing rotating hammers and having a material feed hopper at the top of the casing, a feed control device comprising,

a baffle plate disposed within said hopper and movable therein to variably restrict the flow of feed material therethrough,

said baffle plate being positioned substantially vertically and slidably supported at its lower end by a rod extending laterally through generally horizontal slots formed in the casing side walls thereby constituting supporting track means at opposite sides of the mill casing, said baflle plate being positionally stabilized at its upper end by laterally extending means engaging generally vertically extending slide guide means at opposite sides of said mill casing,

and means to move the bottom end of said bafile plate along said horizontal tracks, said means including a strut disposed outside of said casing at each side thereof and connected to the opposite ends of said baffle plate rod, and a yoke bar interconnecting the other ends of said struts, and a screw having one end mounted in rotatably bearing relation upon said casing and extending therefrom in threaded relation through said yoke bar, and a crank for rotating said screw, all of said strut and yoke and screw and bearing devices being located exteriorly of the mill casing.

2. A feed control device for a mill including a casing enclosing rotating milling means and having a material feed hopper at the top of the casing, said control device comprising,

a baffle plate disposed Within said hopper and movable therein to variably restrict the flow of feed material therethrough,

said baffle plate being positioned substantially vertically and slidably supported at its lower end by rod means extending laterally through generally horizontal slot means formed in the casing wall thereby constituting supporting track means, said bafiie plate being positionally stabilized at its upper end by laterally extending means engaging generally vertically extending slide guide means mounted on said mill casing,

and adjustment means to move the bottom end of said bafile plate along said horizontal track means, said adjustment means including strut means disposed outside of said casing and connected to said baffle plate rod means, and a yoke bar carried by the other ends of said strut means, and a screw having one end mounted in rotatably bearing relation upon said casing and extending therefrom in threaded relation through said yoke bar, and a crank for rotating said screw, all of said strut and yoke and screw and bearing devices being located exteriorly of the mill casing.

3. In a pulverizing mill including a casing enclosing rotating hammers and having a material feed hopper at the top of the casing, a feed control device comprising,

a bafl le plate disposed with-in said hopper and movable therein to variably restrict the flow of feed material therethrough,

said batfie plate being positioned substantially vertically and supported at its lower end by rod means extending laterally therefrom and through generally horizontal slots for-med in the casing side Walls thereby constituting supporting track means at opposite sides of the mill casing, said baflle plate being positionally stabilized at its upper end by laterally extending arms slidably engaging in generally vertically extending guide means at opposite sides of the interior of said mill casing,

and adjustment means to move the bottom end of said baffle plate along said horizontal tracks, said means including struts disposed outside of said casing at opposite sides thereof and connected to the opposite extending ends of said baffle plate rod means, and a yoke bar interconnecting the other ends of said struts, and a screw having one end fixed in rotatable bearing relation upon said casing and extending therefrom in threaded relation through said yoke bar, and manually operable means for rotating said screw, said adjustment means being located exteriorly of the mill casing.

4. A feed control device for a mill including a casing enclosing rotating milling means and having a material feed hopper at the top of the casing, said control device comprising,

a bafile plate disposed within said hopper and movable therein to variably restrict the flow of feed material therethrough,

said bafile plate being positioned substantially vertically and slidably supported at its lower end by rod means extending laterally through generally horizontal slot means formed in the casing wall thereby constituting supporting track means, said bathe plate being positionally stabilized at its upper end by laterally extending means engaging generally vertically extending slide guide means mounted on said mill casing,

and adjustment means to move the bottom end of said bafiie plate along said horizontal track means, said adjustment means including a shuttered housing extending externally of said casing and enclosing each said slot means, strut means disposed outside of said casing and extending through said shuttered housing means and connected to said baffle plate rod means, and a yoke bar carried by the other ends of said strut means, and a screw having one end mounted in rotatably bearing relation upon said casing and extending therefrom in threaded relation through said yoke bar, and a crank for rotating said screw, said yoke and screw and bearing devices being located exteriorly of the mill casing.

5. In a pulverizing mill including a casing enclosing rotating hammers and having a material feed hopper at the top of the casing, a feed control device comprising,

a baffie plate disposed Within said hopper and movable therein to variably restrict the flow of feed material therethrough,

said baflie plate being positioned substantially vertically and supported at its lower end by rod means extending laterally therefrom and through generally horizontal slots formed in the casing side walls thereby constituting supporting track means at opposite sides of the mill casing, said baflie plate being positionally stabilized at its upper end by laterally extending arms slidably engaging in generally vertically extending guide means at opposite sides of the interior of said mill casing,

and adjustment means to move the bottom end of said baflle plate along said horizontal tracks, said means including a shuttered housing extending externally 3,259,327 6 of said casing and enclosing each said slot means, 7. In a pulverizing mill including a casing enclosing struts disposed outside of said casing at opposite rotating hammers and having a material feed hopper at Sides thereof d eXtelldillg through Said shuttered the top of the casing, a feed control device comprising, housing means and connected to the opposite extenda bafile plate disposed within said hopper and movable ing ends of said baffle plate rod means, and a yoke 5 therein to variably restrict the flow of feed material bar interconnecting the other ends of said struts, and therethrough,

a screw having one end fixed in rotatable bearing said baffle plate being positioned substantially verticalrelation upon said casing and extending therefrom ly and supported at its lower end by rod means exin threaded relation through said yoke bar, and mantending laterally therefrom and through generally ually operable means for rotating said screw, said 10 horizontal slots formed in the casing side Walls thereadjustment means being located exteriorly of the mill casing.

by constituting supporting track means at opposite sides of the mill casing, said bafile plate being posi- 6. A feed control device for a mill including a casing enclosing rotating milling means and having a material feed hopper at the top of the casing, said control device comprising,

a baffle plate disposed within said hopper and movtionally stabilized at its upper end by laterally extending arms slidably engaging in generally vertically extending guide means at opposite sides of the interior of said mill casing,

and adjustment means to move the bottom end of said able therein to variably restrict the flow of feed material therethrough,

adjustment means including strut means disposed outside of said casing and connected to said baffle plate rod means, and means located exteriorly of said casing for actuating said strut means to shift said bafiie plate to regulate the rate of feed material flow.

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

baffle plate along said horizontal tracks, said means including a shuttered housing extending externally said batlle plate being positioned susbtantially verticalof said casing and enclosing each said slot means, ly and slidably supported at its lower end by rod struts disposed outside of said casing at opposite means extending laterally through generally horizonsides thereof and extending through said shuttered tal slot means formed in the casing Wall thereby conhousing means and connected to the opposite extendstituting supporting track means, said baflle plate ing ends of said bafile plate rod means, and means being positionally stabilized at its upper end by lat- 2 located exteriorly of said casing for actuating said erally extending means engaging generally vertically strut means to shift said baffle plate to regulate the extending slide guide means mounted on said mill rate of feed material flow. casing,

and adjustment means to move the bottom end of said References (Iited by the Examiner baflle plate along said horizontal track means, said 39 UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1956 Moore 241-186 D. KELLY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PULVERIZING MILL INCLUDING A CASING ENCLOSING ROTATION HAMMERS AND HAVING A MATERIAL FEED HOOPER AT THE TOP OF THE CASING, A FEED CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING, A BAFFLE PLATE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOPPER AND MOVABLE THEREIN TO VARIABLE RESTRICT THE FLOW OF FEED MATERIAL THERETHROUGH, SAID BAFFLE PLATE BEING POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY AND SLIDABLY SUPPORTED AT ITS LOWER END BY A ROD EXTENDING LATERALLY THROUGH GENERALLY HORIZONTAL SLOTS FORMED IN THE CASING SIDE WALLS THEREOF CONSTITUTING SUPPORTING TRACK MEANS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE MILL CASING, SAID BAFFLE PLATE BEING POSITIONALLY STABILIZED AT ITS UPPER END BY LATERALLY EXTENDING MEANS ENGAGING GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING SLIDE GUIDE MEANS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MILL CASING, AND MEANS TO MOVE THE BOTTOM END OF SAID BAFFLE PLATE ALONG SAID HORIZONTAL TRACKS, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A STRUT DISPOSED OUTSIDE OF SAID CASING AT EACH SIDE THEREOF AND CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SAID BAFFLE PLATE ROD, AND A YOKE BAR INTERCONNECTING THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID STRUTS, SAID A SCREW HAVING ONE END MOUNTED IN ROTATABLY BEARING RELATION UPON SAID CASING AND EXTENDING THEREFROM IN THREAD RELATION THROUGH SAID YOKE BAR, AND A CRANK FOR ROTATING SAID SCREW, ALL OF SAID STRUT AND YOKE AND SCREW AND 